Posted on 02/11/2015 5:19:49 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
At a “Defeat Jihad Summit” hosted by the Center for Security Policy, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) noted Wednesday that former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is Mormon, did not travel to New York launch a terrorist attack on “The Book of Mormon."
“Right now on Broadway, a play is showing, the Book of Mormon, that is ridiculing and making fun of the Mormon faith," said Cruz. "Last I checked, Mitt Romney didn’t show up on Broadway trying to blow up the stage."
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
"It is not a permissible response for anyone of any faith to say if you disagree with or if you criticize or even if you make fun of my faith, I will murder you," said Cruz. "No one of any faith has right to make that statement.”
Cruz was countering what he said was President Barack Obama's suggestion in his National Prayer Breakfast speech last week that the terrorists who killed journalists at the Charlie Hebdo office in France had a “legitimate grievance” because the magazine published a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.
“Another component of the president’s remarks was that he talked about free speech and freedom of religion are intertwined, and he said you cannot have one without the other, and when someone exercises their free speech to criticize the faith of another, we should all condemn it. I found that a rather stunning assault on free speech from the president,” Cruz said.
“It got very little press attention, because less it be lost on anybody, what the president was saying is that Charlie was wrong to put a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on their magazine, and implicitly, what that’s saying is the terrorists who murdered those journalists had a legitimate grievance. That is wrong. That is pernicious,” Cruz added.
In his speech, Obama said: “There’s wisdom in our founders writing in those documents that helped found this nation the notion of freedom of religion, because they understood the need for humility. They also understood the need to uphold freedom of speech, that there was a connection between freedom of speech and freedom of religion, for to infringe on one right under the pretext of protecting another is a betrayal of both.
“But part of humility is also recognizing in modern, complicated, diverse societies, the functioning of these rights. The concern for the protection of these rights calls for each of us to exercise civility and restraint and judgment,” the president said.
“And if, in fact, we defend the legal right of a person to insult another’s religion, we’re equally obligated to use our free speech to condemn such insults and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with religious communities, particularly religious minorities who are the targets of such attacks,” Obama said.
“Just because you have the right to say something doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t question those who would insult others in the name of free speech, because we know that our nations are stronger when people of all faiths feel that they are welcome, that they, too, are full and equal members of our countries. So humility I think is needed,” Obama added.
Cruz also noted that no one tried to murder artist Andres Serrano for creating, “Piss Christ,” a photo of a Crucifix submerged in urine.
“And I would note criticism and even ridicule of faith is not limited to any particular faith. I am a Christian. Some time ago, there was news of an artist who had submerged a Crucifix in a vat of urine. It was pleasantly entitled Piss Christ. Let me tell you, that is offensive, and yet no one would have sought to murder the artist for insulting or ridiculing my faith,” Cruz said.
In an April 18, 2011 article, Reuters reported that the photograph was vandalized while on display at a museum in France, and vandals physically threatened Lambert Gallery museum guards before fleeing.
"Several people have called saying, 'If you open, you're dead,'" Reuters quoted one museum worker as saying. "We're nervous and we have asked for protection from the police."
The magazine Complex reported that Serrano received death threats and hate mail for years following the unveiling of “Piss Christ.”
Cruz’s bit of sanity is refreshing in this stinking pile of discourse.
I dunno. One of those things seems like expressing an opinion, and the other seems like murdering 12 people because they work at a magazine.
Go, Senator Cruz! Personally, I would have supported somebody blowing up that crude, disgusting show.
Yup!
Are they in the tank for Huckabee or something?
“Right now on Broadway, a play is showing, the Book of Mormon, that is ridiculing and making fun of the Mormon faith," said Cruz. "Last I checked, Mitt Romney didn’t show up on Broadway trying to blow up the stage."
And, last I checked...when the Mormon church has consistently ridiculed the Christian faith and its adherents throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, no Christians have shown up in Salt Lake City attempting to blow up Temple Square.
By "ridicule"...this post and the next one (or two) will exemplify how the Mormon church has done that:
Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects |
Mormon Source[Note: Most of these are Mormon ‘scriptures'. In fact, First three rows below are Lds 'scripture' & therefore cannot be rug-swept any more than a Jew might try to take three commandments off of the very tablets of stone Moses brought down from the mountain] |
| “...which of all the sects was right… must join NONE of them, for they were ALL WRONG… those professors were ALL CORRUPT…” | Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price |
| ...“which of all the sects was right…ALL their CREEDS were an ABOMINATION in his sight…they teach for doctrines the commandments of MEN…” | Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price |
| Mormon church the only ‘Christ-sanctioned’ church on earth: “…the foundation of this [Mormon] church…the ONLY true and living church on the face of the whole earth” [Obvious ‘scorched earth’ implication: All other churches are false and dead] | Lds “scripture” Doctrines & Covenants 1:30 |
| Direct question asked of Joseph Smith: 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" Answer from Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness." | Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119 [Not “scripture” – but still publicly spoken by the Mormon ‘living prophet’ and published by a later Mormon ‘living prophet,’ Joseph Fielding Smith – via a publisher owned by the Mormon church – Deseret News Press, 1938] |
| “In 1952…the first official proselyting plan was sent to missionaries throughout the world…It included seven missionary discussions that emphasized…[four topics, one of them being]…THE APOSTASY and Restoration…” [This makes it 60 years that Mormon church missionaries, soon to number 85,000, have formally emphasized in its training & door to door saturation a priority in bashing the worldwide Christian church as “apostates” (100% AWOL)] | Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints p. 116, 1996 |
“Right now on Broadway, a play is showing, the Book of Mormon, that is ridiculing and making fun of the Mormon faith," said Cruz. "Last I checked, Mitt Romney didn’t show up on Broadway trying to blow up the stage."
And, last I checked...when the Mormon church has consistently ridiculed the Christian faith and its adherents throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, no Christians have shown up in Salt Lake City attempting to blow up Temple Square.
By "ridicule"...here is more of what I mean:
Romney has gone on record since December of 2007, endorsing the "faith" of his fathers...per Romney, how he "endeavors to live by it" and "be true" to those "beliefs."
(Apparently, Mitt wanted to inspire us Christians to vote for him...wooing us...)
I'm reminded of that one speed-dating commercial (actually a cell phone commercial) where a woman is able to quickly research on her speedy cell phone the guy's fave pick-up lines, etc...
IOW, what Mitt might say to you face-to-face is not what Mitt's "fathers" and "fathers in the faith" have taught him through the years about us Christians.
In the previous post, I mentioned Mormon leaders' Joseph Smith, George Q. Cannon, and Bruce McConkie...and I'll cite some same & additional quotes from them below so that people can glimpse a proper "survey" of Mormon leader opinions about us...
But please read to the end...so that you know then that these supposed "revelations from the Mormon god" aren't just applied to "yesteryear" Christians:
Joseph Smith himself:
Joseph Smith, Jr.: “…all the priests who adhere to the sectarian religions of the day with all their followers, without one exception, receive their portion with the devil and his angels.” (The Elders Journal, Joseph Smith Jr., editor, vol.1, no.4, p.60).
Late 19th century:
George Q. Cannon, member of First Presidency with four different Lds "prophets": "AFTER the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They all belong to Babylon" (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, pg.324).
Less-than-50 years ago:
Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie: McConkie says all non-Mormon churches are "...the great apostate church" [that's us -- the Christian church] "as the anti-christ...This great antichrist...is the church of the devil." ("Apostle" Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine p.40)
Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie: "What is the church of the devil in our day, and what is the seat of her power?…It is all the systems, BOTH Christian and non-Christian, that perverted the pure and perfect gospel…. It is communism, it is Islam; it is Buddhism; it is modern Christianity in ALL its parts. It is Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and Italy under Mussolini" (Millennial Messiah, pp. 54-55).
Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie: "The church of the devil is the world; it is all the carnality and evil to which fallen man is heir; it is every unholy and wicked practice; it is every false religion, every supposed system of salvation which does not actually save and exalt man in the highest heaven of the celestial world. It is EVERY CHURCH except the true church, whether parading under a Christian or a pagan banner." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:551)
Note, per Mormon doctrine, the "only true and living church on the face of the earth" is the Mormon church (D&C 1:30).
Q How do we know that the official Lds church approves of McConkie's interpretation given above?
A:
#1...he was an "apostle";
#2, the Doctrinal New Testament Commentary was cited by the official Mormon church as a commentary to 1 Nephi 14:10 for its widely distributed teachings of college students: The church of JC LDS: Seminaries and Institutes of Religion: Book of Mormon Student Manual: Chapter 4: 1Nephi 11–14: Notes and Commentary
* Note...McConkie's resource was also cited among study guides commonly used in the Mormon church as published by Cedar Fort out of Springville, Utah...in these two 2007 books:
* Randal S. Chase, Making Precious Things Plain: A Book of Mormon Study Guide: Volume 1: 1 Nephi-Alma 16 Cedar Fort, Springville, UT, 2007 p. 40
* K. Douglas Bassett, PhD, Doctrinal Insights to the Book of Mormon: Vol. 1: 1 Nephi through 2 Nephi Cedar Fort, Springville, UT 2007, pp. 62-63
Also, less than 30 years ago -- Official Lds church magazine, Ensign:
The “man of sin,” generally equated with Satan, would exalt himself over all that is divine and assume the place of God in the Church. Of historical and theological significance is the fact that in Paul’s prophecy the church structure survives. But God is not at its head, making that church—following the appearance in it of Satan—no longer the church of God....How appropriate, therefore, is Paul’s description of him sitting in the place of God in the church of the apostasía. Kent P. Jackson, Signs of the Early Apostasy, Ensign, December 1984 Signs of the Early Apostasy
This BYU professor is commenting on 2 Thess. 2:1-12 here...which Christian commentators reference as future. Lds leaders constantly reference 2 Thess. 2:1-12 as past tense -- evidence of the great apostasy...Jackson calls it a "drastic" apostasy. Lds doctrine is that it was total or all but a handful...and those handful were never "public."
Q What other Institute teachings are there about Christians currently taught to Mormon college students:
A:
* A universal [absolute world-wide] apostasy occurred...“...an absolute apostasy of the Church...” [Lds "apostle" James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ] {See this & similar quotes here: The Apostasy [What Lds believe re: Christians: Label us 'apostates' like Islam calls us 'infidels']}
Q And what does the Lds church officially teach its high school students...?
A The “church of the devil” does not refer to a specific church but to any person, group, organization, or philosophy that works against the Church of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the children of God.
Source: Official Mormon 'Seminary' (high school) teachings on 1 Nephi 14
“Right now on Broadway, a play is showing, the Book of Mormon, that is ridiculing and making fun of the Mormon faith," said Cruz. "Last I checked, Mitt Romney didn’t show up on Broadway trying to blow up the stage."
And, last I checked...when the Mormon church has consistently ridiculed the Christian faith and its adherents throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, no Christians have shown up in Salt Lake City attempting to blow up Temple Square.
By "ridicule"...here is even more of what I mean:
Bottom-line: Per Romney and the faith he has in his faith's "fathers"...
...we Christians are supposedly "the church of the devil" if we oppose Mormonism's "you-become-a-god" scheme
Remember, an Lds "apostle" said the church of the devil is:
"...EVERY supposed system of salvation which does not actually save and exalt man in the highest heaven of the celestial world." [This is Mormon godhood]...
This Lds "apostle" added that the church of the devil "...is EVERY CHURCH except the true church, whether parading under a Christian or a pagan banner."
Since Mormons don't recognize any other church than theirs as the "true church" (Lds Doctrine & Covenants 1:30), this is what their Book of Mormon means when they pronounce other churches as "the church of the devil" (1 Nephi 14:9-10).
It appears we have an alignment of the religious fervor of the anti-Walker/anti-Cruz zealots and the religious fervor of the anti-Mormonism zealots. It was only a matter of time.
The magazine Complex reported that Serrano received death threats and hate mail for years following the unveiling of “Piss Christ.”
They were just exercising their free speech rights. Surely Serrano understood.
Flash: Still no sign of anyone having a life in Colofornia.
A few of the mormon church’s [aka Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] 13 “Articles of Faith”
**We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
**We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
**We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
**We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
You then went on to cite the first four LDS "articles of faith"...Let's review those, shall we?
| Articles of Faith Lds | Deconstructed Articles of Faith | If this article of faith was true… |
| LDS Article 1: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” | I believed in Joseph the Stone-Peeping Polygamist, in his fictitious book and in the changing doctrine. [brian-the-christ poster submission on another Web site | Actually Lds believe in many -- as in multiple gods. But since that would have been kind of "off-putting" in 19th-century America, they didn't mention the "council of gods" referenced in the Pearl of Great Price -- nor does this article highlight the potential "millions" more "gods" who are "ex-mortals." (My, how convenient to present such lapses more openly to the public) |
| Article 2: “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” | 2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, such as murdering or drinking tea, and not for Adam's transgression, unless you were a Negro and died before 1978, in which case you were punished and cursed for the sins of Cain, or for what you did in the pre-existence. [Deconstructor] | 2. Well the flip side of this is then that the Mormon Jesus didn't die for your personal sins -- just the original sin of Adam |
| Article 3: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” | We supposedly can be "saved" Mormon-style by obeying the laws and ordinances of the Mormon church...yet both the Mormon church and Mormons themselves can't even give you a consistent (or comprehensive) list of exactly what each and all those "laws and ordinances" comprise of | We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. So the atonement, per Mormonism, doesn't heal unless you're a fully obedient person? Furthermore, other Lds leaders are on record saying that the atonement doesn't apply to your personal sins unless you're a member of the Lds Church & have undergone other Lds ordinances, etc. When the Mormon leaders talk about the effects of the atonement, they usually don't emphasize its effect for non-Mormons. Instead, the emphasis is on Mormon membership; Mormon ordinances; Mormon temple activity, etc. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Let's break this one down into two parts: We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved.. Lds "prophet" Spencer W. Kimball: Of course we need to understand terms. If by the word 'salvation' is meant the mere salvation or redemption from the grave, the 'grace of God' is sufficient... (Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 207) IOW, Lds believe all will be resurrected because of the atonement...What they tend to "de-emphasize" in this, however, is Jesus' words in John 5:29: And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. IOW, they make it sound like it's so great that all will be "resurrected." But I have to remind Lds that "damnation" isn't a "degree of glory." ...by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel Back to Kimball: But if the term 'salvation' means returning to the presence of God with eternal progression, eternal increase, and eventual godhood, for this one certainly must have the "grace of God," as it is generally defined, plus personal purity, overcoming of evil, and the good 'works' made so important in the exhortations of the Savior and his prophets and apostles. (Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 207-208) IOW: You have to audition for godhood with a grand resume' of good works! Another Lds "prophet," Joseph F. Smith said: "There is no hope of everlasting life but through obedience to the law..." Gospel Doctrine, p. 503 [Lds are trusting in their ability to obey the law to earn godhood] |
| Article 4: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” | We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in Joseph Smith; second, Faith in the current version of the Book of Mormon; third, Payment of tithing for the remission of sins; fourth, Repentance for not paying tithing (but only if you catch up); fifth, Blind obedience to the current prophet and to your husband, if you are a woman…[deconstructor] | Then the "gospel" would be just another law -- an "ordinance" -- and NOT glad "tidings" (news)...It would be more about what men do than what God has done in Jesus Christ (see John 6:28-29) |
"Deconstructor" referenced in chart -- source:
Deconstructor
As mentioned in the last post, you cited the first four LDS "articles of faith"...Let's review those, shall we from the "female" perspective:
| Articles of Faith Lds | 10% More Disclosure version | From the female angle… |
| LDS Article 1: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” | (Well, if we’re going to disclose what our church-published books are conveying to our members even as of 2007, these aren’t the only gods we promote: “Here, then, is eternal life – to know the only wise and true God,” says Joseph Smith. Sounds good, right, “THE ONLY…true God.” One god, right? Ah, gotcha! You didn’t continue reading that quote from him, did ya? Joseph then quickly added: “and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves…” And, hey even our 2007 church-published book added another Smith deciphering of this for us: “…[The righteous who have died] shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings…they shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the SAME power, the SAME glory and the SAME exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before.” (Teachings of Presidents: Joseph Smith, pp. 221-222) | 1. We believe in God the Eternal Father, god the eternal mother whom we are forbidden to acknowledge publicly, and in his (not her) son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost who is a male personage. [for women] |
| Article 2: “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.” | 2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. We also believe that God sometimes commands us to sin, or at least puts us in situations where sinning is necessary to fulfill God's purposes. Also, some sins aren't sins if you are doing them to help God's church. Also, you might be punished for other people's transgressions (like Cain, if you have dark skin, or Eve, if you are a woman) but not for Adam's. Whew! [10% more disclosure] | 2. We believe that men will pay through lots of post-mortal pain for their sins unless they become a Mormon either on their own with their own body or against their living wishes not to be a Mormon via another living Mormon’s physical body as proxy, and it doesn’t matter what Adam did because by obeying his more spiritual wife we were able to get these bodies in the first place. [MeetmeinMissouri] |
| Article 3: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” | 3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Well, they may be saved, but only if they obey the laws and ordinances, which are changing almost all the time. They change kind of slowly, so sometimes no one notices, and WE sure as heck don't call attention to it. [10% more disclosure] | [womenkind will be saved by proper signs & tokens & calling forth of their husbands beyond the veil] LDS Apostle Erastus Snow preached the following on Sunday, Oct. 4, 1857: " Do the women, when they pray, remember their husbands?... Do you uphold your husband before God as your lord? "What!—my husband to be my lord?" I ask, Can you get into the celestial kingdom without him? Have any of you been there? You will remember that you never got into the celestial kingdom [during the temple ceremony] without the aid of your husband. If you did, it was because your husband was away, and some one had to act proxy for him. No woman will get into the celestial kingdom, except her husband receives her, if she is worthy to have a husband; and if not, somebody will receive her as a servant.“(Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 291) |
| Article 4: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” | 4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. There are a lot of other ordinances and principles, too, but if we mention them up front, no one would ever join our church. They'd think we were some kind of whacked-out cult. But we aren't. And if you ask us specifically about some of the bizarre things we think are part of the 'gospel', we will lie about it; but that's okay (see Article 2). [10% more disclosure] | [anything in women response about laying on hands?] |
Oh?
You've SEEN it then?
Oh??
"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned;
and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given,
and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.
Brigham Young - JoD 3:266 (July 14, 1855)
It's STILL in the book!!
58 Now, as touching the law of the apriesthood, there are many things pertaining thereunto.
59 Verily, if a man be called of my Father, as was aAaron, by mine own voice, and by the voice of him that bsent me, and I have endowed him with the ckeys of the power of this priesthood, if he do anything in my name, and according to my law and by my word, he will not commit dsin, and I will justify him.
60 Let no one, therefore, set on my servant Joseph; for I will justify him; for he shall do the sacrifice which I require at his hands for his transgressions, saith the Lord your God.
61 And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse aanother, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.
62 And if he have aten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.
63 But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to amultiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be bglorified.
64 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.
65 Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take aHagar to wife.
66 And now, as pertaining to this law, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will reveal more unto you, hereafter; therefore, let this suffice for the present. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega. Amen.
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